Bishop England's Bastian headlines locals in Citadel signing class

Bishop England senior Will Bastian is the local representative of The Citadel's 12-man signing class that hails almost exclusively from South Carolina. Ten of the future Bulldogs played high school baseball in the Palmetto State in the Bulldogs' 2018 signing class, announced Tuesday. Eight pitchers, including three left-handers, are part of the first signing class under head coach Tony Skole, who took over the program at his alma mater in June. "This group of future Bulldogs is an extremely talented group, but most importantly these young men fit into the culture of our program and university," Skole said. "In this class, we believe we found a great blend of players with upside and future growth potential along with a bunch of winners and high level performers. This was an important class, and I could not be more excited about the skill, talent, and toughness that these young men possess." Bastian starred at catcher for the state champion Bishops last spring but has seen time at pitcher and in the infield. He hit .242 with 15 RBIs, 16 runs scored and hit six doubles as a junior last season. He finished with a fielding percentage of .976 and caught eight runners stealing. He also showed potential in limited action on the mound, striking out 16 batters and allowing nine hits in 12 and 1-3 innings pitched. "Will personifies what we look for in the makeup of a Citadel baseball cadet-athlete," Skole said. "He is hard-nosed, a fierce competitor, and is a young man that is passionate about doing whatever he can to help the team win. Will is ranked as a top 50 player in South Carolina via Perfect Game playing his summer baseball with the ECBA organization. He is a stand out multi-sport athlete starting on the football team as a wide receiver and safety, won the 2017 AAA state championship in baseball, and has great versatility having the ability to play multiple positions." Right-handed pitcher/infielder Cameron Reeves (Rock Hill, S.C.), RHP Corbitt Cimadevilla (Newnan, Ga.), RHP/first baseman Jordan Flanders (North Augusta, S.C.), infielder Tyler Corbitt (West Columbia, S.C.), first baseman/LHP Ches Goodman (Port St. Lucie, Fla.), outfielder/LHP Wesley Lane (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), catcher David "Tater" Goodson (Bluffton, S.C.), infielder Joseph Mims (Gilbert, S.C.), RHP Lathan Todd (Sumter, S.C.), OF/LHP Cole Simpson (Columbia, S.C.), and RHP Nathaniel Turner (Anderson, S.C.) comprise the rest of the Bulldogs' class. "Since we arrived in July, our staff has been very aggressive on the recruiting landscape. One of our immediate goals was to get back on the right trajectory as a program. As a program you want to be trending upward and this summer and fall we felt like we have accomplished that," Skole said. "This group of future Bulldogs is an extremely talented group, but most importantly these young men fit into the culture of our program and university. When we shared our vision and plan with them, they all believed in the excellence of our program and this wonderful institution."

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BISHOP ENGLAND'S BASTIAN HEADLINES LOCALS IN CITADEL SIGNING CLASS

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Moultrie News | 12/22/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Frankie Mansfield